CPAP Diary
Feb. 25th, 2007 09:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexxkayDay 13: Kept the mask on all night, but still didn't sleep terribly well. Woke after 9 hours, because I was hungry.
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Day 14: Everyone's suggestions from last post led me to experiment some with the strap settings. Very frustrating, and I gave up and took it off entirely after about an hour. Felt somewhat feverish at that point, might be coming down with something. It occurs to me that going through this while under so much stress from work is not optimal. But if I put it off now, when *would* I do it? I'm way too good at finding excuses not to do stuff :(
Got about 10 hours total, though the first hour didn't have much actual sleep.
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Day 15: Managed ~3.5 hours with the mask. Then had a bout of tossturn that left me frustrated with leaks, so I took it off.
Total sleep ~9.5 hours. Felt quite rested, though, and woke before my alarm went off. This may work out yet, if I can make it through the adjustment period...
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Day 16: Seven hours under the mask. Notably including some tossturn episodes in which I managed to keep the mask seal on without fully waking up. Didn't keep working all night, though, so eventually took it off. Total sleep 9 hours.
Incidentally, discovered a new failure mode. Certain types of slow leaks, when one is only half awake, sound remarkably like a mouse squeaking about nearby.
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Day 17: Only managed 2.5 hours in mask last night -- very bad leakage. 10 hours total.
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Day 18: Another bad night. 2.5 hours masked. 9 hours total, but woke up feeling sick. Mostly work stress, I expect... Ended up calling in sick.
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Day 19: Major progress! I figured out last night that there was an adjustable connector on the mask which, though I had never intentionally done anything with it, had somehow got badly out of true. Once re-adjusted, the severe leaking problems were gone! There are still occasional minor leaks, but nothing like what I had been dealing with.
Kept the mask on all night, and slept 11 hours. Woke up feeling, if not exactly perky, at least decidedly NOT sick.
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Day 20: Under the mask for 8.5 hours, then about .5 hours without.
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Day 21: All night under mask, 9.5 hours. Very vivid dreams the last two nights.
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Day 22: All night under mask, 9 hours. Slept poorly for the last hour or so, probably due to hunger.
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Day 23: 9.5 hours, all masked, alarm terminated.
Some leakage issues in the last few hours, I think due to dryness. Yes, the CPAP has a humidifier, but its tank only holds enough water for 6-7 hours of operation. I still have some hopes of reducing my sleep need down to that, but it hasn't happened yet.
Tonight will be interesting. It's Boskone, so this will be my first time trying the CPAP 'on the road'. We're only staying one night, though, so hopefully nothing *too* bad will happen...
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Day 24: OK, trying the mask at a con was over-optimistc at this stage. In my own bed, I can usually adjust it now without totally waking up. In an unfamiliar bed, with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kestrell snoring nearby, not so much.
4.5 hours masked, 8.5 total, alarm-terminated.
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Day 25: 10.5 hours of blessed sleep in mine own bed! Wore the mask for most of that, but don't remember exactly when I took it off, ~7 hours? Again, dryness was becoming an issue.
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Day 26: 7 hours under mask, 9.5 hours total.
I begin to grow discouraged. 9.5 hours is my baseline. The point of this exercise (from my point of view) was to reduce that. Whatever benefits the mask is giving appear to be *exactly* balanced by the annoyances. I'm not giving up yet, but I'm starting to consider it...
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Day 27: 9.5 hours of sleep total, masked: ? I woke up in the wee hours and it was off, though I don't remember removing it. maybe 4 or 5 hours?
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Day 28: *Not* a good night. Stayed up rather too late. Couldn't seem to find a mask position that wasn't simultaneously constrictingly tight *and* loose enough to leak a lot. After 2.5 hours, gave it up as a bad job. Total sleep 9 hours.
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Day 29: Had a much better day at work yesterday, so was more able to face the mask with a positive attitude last night. When I'm able to let the smaller leaks not bother me, things go smoother. Still, there's little to be done about the tossing and turning. 8 hours masked, 10 total.
I think I'm gonna give this until Day 40. If there's still no hint of improvement by then, I'm going to stop using it.
Plan B is to get a professional allergist to address *that* issue and see if he can help. Well I was planning on doing that *anyways*, once the CPAP thing had stabilized one way or another. In addressing chronic issues, I figured it was probably best to start by addressing one variable at a time.
The insurance plan at work is changing again on April 1, which is also right when we should be done with Bioshock. Methinks I should set up an allergist appointment for early April.
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Day 30: 9.5 hours, 6 masked.
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Day 31: 7 hours masked, 8 total. Don't feel fully rested, but I'm definitely awake now. Mildly promising sign...
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Day 32: 8 hours masked, 11 total. Averaged with yesterday, that comes to... 9.5. Sigh.
Got the straps reasonably comfortable, but after the humidifier runs out, the air eventualy gets cold and dry enough to be a problem.
---
Day 14: Everyone's suggestions from last post led me to experiment some with the strap settings. Very frustrating, and I gave up and took it off entirely after about an hour. Felt somewhat feverish at that point, might be coming down with something. It occurs to me that going through this while under so much stress from work is not optimal. But if I put it off now, when *would* I do it? I'm way too good at finding excuses not to do stuff :(
Got about 10 hours total, though the first hour didn't have much actual sleep.
---
Day 15: Managed ~3.5 hours with the mask. Then had a bout of tossturn that left me frustrated with leaks, so I took it off.
Total sleep ~9.5 hours. Felt quite rested, though, and woke before my alarm went off. This may work out yet, if I can make it through the adjustment period...
---
Day 16: Seven hours under the mask. Notably including some tossturn episodes in which I managed to keep the mask seal on without fully waking up. Didn't keep working all night, though, so eventually took it off. Total sleep 9 hours.
Incidentally, discovered a new failure mode. Certain types of slow leaks, when one is only half awake, sound remarkably like a mouse squeaking about nearby.
---
Day 17: Only managed 2.5 hours in mask last night -- very bad leakage. 10 hours total.
---
Day 18: Another bad night. 2.5 hours masked. 9 hours total, but woke up feeling sick. Mostly work stress, I expect... Ended up calling in sick.
---
Day 19: Major progress! I figured out last night that there was an adjustable connector on the mask which, though I had never intentionally done anything with it, had somehow got badly out of true. Once re-adjusted, the severe leaking problems were gone! There are still occasional minor leaks, but nothing like what I had been dealing with.
Kept the mask on all night, and slept 11 hours. Woke up feeling, if not exactly perky, at least decidedly NOT sick.
---
Day 20: Under the mask for 8.5 hours, then about .5 hours without.
---
Day 21: All night under mask, 9.5 hours. Very vivid dreams the last two nights.
---
Day 22: All night under mask, 9 hours. Slept poorly for the last hour or so, probably due to hunger.
---
Day 23: 9.5 hours, all masked, alarm terminated.
Some leakage issues in the last few hours, I think due to dryness. Yes, the CPAP has a humidifier, but its tank only holds enough water for 6-7 hours of operation. I still have some hopes of reducing my sleep need down to that, but it hasn't happened yet.
Tonight will be interesting. It's Boskone, so this will be my first time trying the CPAP 'on the road'. We're only staying one night, though, so hopefully nothing *too* bad will happen...
---
Day 24: OK, trying the mask at a con was over-optimistc at this stage. In my own bed, I can usually adjust it now without totally waking up. In an unfamiliar bed, with
kestrell snoring nearby, not so much.4.5 hours masked, 8.5 total, alarm-terminated.
---
Day 25: 10.5 hours of blessed sleep in mine own bed! Wore the mask for most of that, but don't remember exactly when I took it off, ~7 hours? Again, dryness was becoming an issue.
---
Day 26: 7 hours under mask, 9.5 hours total.
I begin to grow discouraged. 9.5 hours is my baseline. The point of this exercise (from my point of view) was to reduce that. Whatever benefits the mask is giving appear to be *exactly* balanced by the annoyances. I'm not giving up yet, but I'm starting to consider it...
---
Day 27: 9.5 hours of sleep total, masked: ? I woke up in the wee hours and it was off, though I don't remember removing it. maybe 4 or 5 hours?
---
Day 28: *Not* a good night. Stayed up rather too late. Couldn't seem to find a mask position that wasn't simultaneously constrictingly tight *and* loose enough to leak a lot. After 2.5 hours, gave it up as a bad job. Total sleep 9 hours.
---
Day 29: Had a much better day at work yesterday, so was more able to face the mask with a positive attitude last night. When I'm able to let the smaller leaks not bother me, things go smoother. Still, there's little to be done about the tossing and turning. 8 hours masked, 10 total.
I think I'm gonna give this until Day 40. If there's still no hint of improvement by then, I'm going to stop using it.
Plan B is to get a professional allergist to address *that* issue and see if he can help. Well I was planning on doing that *anyways*, once the CPAP thing had stabilized one way or another. In addressing chronic issues, I figured it was probably best to start by addressing one variable at a time.
The insurance plan at work is changing again on April 1, which is also right when we should be done with Bioshock. Methinks I should set up an allergist appointment for early April.
---
Day 30: 9.5 hours, 6 masked.
---
Day 31: 7 hours masked, 8 total. Don't feel fully rested, but I'm definitely awake now. Mildly promising sign...
---
Day 32: 8 hours masked, 11 total. Averaged with yesterday, that comes to... 9.5. Sigh.
Got the straps reasonably comfortable, but after the humidifier runs out, the air eventualy gets cold and dry enough to be a problem.